LJ b water polo 8, Poway 7 - CIF Open quarterfinals - overtime

By Ed Piper

Junior Lev Kevorkian delivered a goal in sudden death after two overtimes for an 8-7 victory over Poway to save La Jolla's place in the CIF Open playoffs Wednesday night, Nov. 5.

The win came in the quarterfinals at Coggan Aquatic Complex among the top eight teams in the San Diego Section.

Kevorkian's clutch goal came after Viking superstar Dexter Black scored the team's first six goals, then fouled out with two minutes left in the first overtime--with five more minutes left to play.

But Coach Tom Atwell's squad survived, receiving a goal by senior center Tor Martin for a 7-6 lead early in the first overtime period. The Vikings then held on, entering sudden death after the two three-minute overtimes tied 7-7 with the Titans, who played a ferocious game.

Poway's Max Kellerman scored all but two of the Titans' goals, matching Black in a crucial battle of nerves and skill in an unexpectedly close matchup of teams in the Open Division.

Kellerman tied the score at five with a goal with 49 seconds left in regulation time. Then he scored in each of the overtimes.

La Jolla goalie George Gayner played a stellar game in the cage, making numerous saves and clutching at shots that went near the goal and remained floating dangerously nearby. Late in the game, he blocked a back shot that a Poway player tried to sneak past him.

Atwell's crew had a number of shot attempts that hit the crossbar, deflected off a post, or skipped off the goal. The Vikes started slowly, leading only 2-0 after the first minutes and 3-1 at halftime. The coach was champing at the bit, barking commands to players and getting on the refs loudly.

LJ g golf: Liesl, Bella tee off Wed., 11/5 in second day of CIF

Freshman Liesl Kijora warms up

before the Vikings-Cathedral

match Oct. 16 at Balboa.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

Liesl Kijora, enjoying an outstanding freshman season, tees off at Torrey Pines in the second day of CIF individual play at 11:06 a.m. Wed., Nov. 5, while teammate Bella Itkin follows in the next foursome at 11:15 a.m.

Kijora, ferried to her golf matches by her grandfather, Robert Bergstrom, who is also one of her playing and practice partners--Liesl, at 14, doesn't yet have a driver's license--shot an 87 at Balboa Park on the first day of CIF competition Mon., Nov. 3.

The ninth-grader led the La Jolla contingent, which consisted of three golfers, including senior Maddie Quach and Itkin, a junior.

Last year, the Vikings only had one team member in the CIF finals, Cooper Gilmore.

Bella shot a 90, three back of Liesl. Kijora was tied for 49th place, Itkin in 63rd place. The cut making the second day of golf at Torrey Pines came at 116 strokes, including the top 110 golfers in CIF San Diego Section.

LJ FB: To host Scripps Ranch - D2 first round

The Vikings' ability to open holes for running

back Aiden Farrell (2) to gain ground will be

one of several factors in the first round

of the CIF playoffs against Scripps Ranch.

Here, Farrell runs for several yards

against Madison Oct. 30.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

La Jolla will host Scripps Ranch in the first round of the Division 2 playoffs Fri., Nov. 7, at Edwards Stadium.

The brackets, announced Sun., Nov. 2, revealed the Vikings' fate after a 48-35 thumping of Madison three days before. Coach Tyler Roach and his squad had hoped to earn a first-round bye, having sat in the first four schools ranked in Division 2 two weeks ago.

But that privilege didn't come to be, as MaxPreps' logarithm placed them out of the top four at number five, opposite Scripps Ranch, the12th seed.

Football playoff brackets are posted for all divisions on the CIF website at cifsds.org.

The Vikings' loss to St. Augustine 41-35 at Mesa College Oct. 24 didn't help them any, as they dropped out of the fourth seed that looked like it was coming their way.

Still, the fifth seed is remarkable after La Jolla's struggle offensively after senior quarterback Huddy Smith went down with a concussion during the Point Loma game Sept. 26, which effectively ended his season. Freshman Ty Tortorice filled in at QB, then late in the season Roach went to junior Emerson Rota, who had been out with a fractured collarbone.

Since then, for the past three weeks, Rota has had a remarkable run of games at the central position, completing 59 of 89 passes for 719 yards and nine touchdowns. The Vikings eked out wins in two of those three games, narrowly edging San Diego High 36-33 in a shootout at the OK Corral on Oct. 17.

LJ b water polo 11, Cathedral Catholic 13 - end of league play 10/30

Vike senior Nate Thomson (10, black cap) defends

Connor Puckett (15) of Point Loma as he tries

to get the ball inside to Greyson Devers (4, white)

in the post, guarded by Tor Martin (11, black,

rear right). Action came Oct. 23 at Coggan Aquatic

Complex. (Photo by Ed Piper)

La Jolla's water polo team led, 10-9, in the third quarter, but ultimately dropped a hard-fought match at Cathedral Catholic, 13-11, to end Western League play Thurs., Oct. 30.

LJ FB: Photos 10/30

Photos by Ed Piper

Sophomore running back Aiden Farrell

(far right) piles up yardage as the

first half ends, Vikings leading 27-14.

Tight end Nico Bardaro (15) took this jet sweep

for 18 yards and a first-and-goal from the six

near the end of the second quarter.

Junior Harrison Brown sent some booming

kicks on extra points and kickoffs throughout

the game for Madison.

A wide-open Carson Diehl catches his first

TD pass of the night from QB Emerson Rota

with four minutes gone in the game. The SDSU

receivers coach was watching from a short

distance away.

Madison football players and cheerleaders

are introduced before the game on

Warhawk Senior Night.

LJ QB Emerson Rota (4) sets up the offense

near the goal line as tight end Nico Bardaro

goes into motion.

Diehl catches his third TD pass in the first half

while sitting down. The Vikings led, 26-7.

LJ FB: Lane is Roach's latest trick

Harper Lane, rightfielder

for the Viking baseball team,

throws with QB Emerson Rota

after their spectacular

flea-flicker play.
(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

La Jolla coach Tyler Roach, though he played linebacker in high school at University City, has shown a creative mind on the offensive side during his nine years as head coach for the Vikings.

This season, faced with the injuries of returning quarterback Huddy Smith, Roach brought up freshman QB Ty Tortorice from the novice team, installed receiver Carson Diehl in the wildcat, and in week nine of the 11-game regular season, brought in a second fill-in QB, Emerson Rota, after he healed from a broken collarbone sustained in the fall game before the season.

On Thursday night, Oct. 30--as if it were Halloween already--Roach spooked host Madison with a surprise play: Rota tossed the ball to new team member Harper Lane, the rightfielder on the Vikings' baseball team with no varsity experience, who then passed downfield to a wide-open Logan Clark in the end zone.

The designed play completely surprised the Warhawk defense. Lane's spiral was right on target. Clark, a senior who has not received a lot of passes this season, knelt in the act of catching the ball, which capped the play with a dramatic finish.

Teammates whooped and hollered as they run up the sideline after the play, which came on first-and-10 to start the drive. The flea-flicker covered over half the field distance-wise.

The play completely surprised a reporter who regularly covers the team. He looked at the roster on his media card, and number 12 read Aiden Hogan. He asked who this number 12 was. "Harper Lane!" Huh?

The Vikings went ahead, 13-0, and despite struggles on defense against a potent Madison running attack, completed a 48-35 win to finish the Eastern League schedule at 3-2 and the regular season with a 6-4 record, leading into the CIF playoffs.

Lane, asked after the play how long he had been on the team, said he had begun practicing with the varsity a week prior. The lefthander led the Viking baseball team with a .373 batting average as a junior, starting in right field. Harper tied for the team lead in hits with 31.

After the flea flicker, Roach employed Lane several times in the offense, alternating him with Rota in taking snaps from center. The look had to be quite a challenge to Madison's defense, which had to respond to each play.

This latest wrinkle was not in La Jolla's playbook or on video that opponents could scout in advance.

LJ FB 48, Madison 35 - End regular season 10/30

Junior QB Emerson Rota (4) throws

a pass to the left side near the end

of the first half. Rota amassed

206 yards on 16 of 23 passing

and four TD's.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

The Vikings overcame a persistent run-based attack by host Madison to land a 48-35 victory Thursday night, Oct. 30, and end their regular season with a win in their final Eastern League game.

Coach Tyler Roach came up with a new wrinkle in his offensive attack (see accompanying story), as La Jolla executed a flea-flicker to perfection against the surprised Warhawks to take an early 13-0 lead in the first quarter.

In the play, quarterback Emerson Rota passed to Harper Lane on the right sideline, Lane then sending a spiral 42 yards to a waiting Logan Clark in the end zone with six minutes left in the period. Clark, almost as if to bless the play, knelt to the turf as he caught Lane's pass. The flea flicker followed an earlier six-yard completion to receiver Carson Diehl for the opening score of the game.

Interestingly, both Rota and Lane are lefthanded passers, and there was an artistic flavor to the play, designed in practice leading up to the game.

Madison, on its own Senior Night--with many football players, cheerleaders, and members of the music program introduced before the game and during halftime--responded at the beginning of the second quarter with a score of its own. The Warhawks, long under the tutelage of Rick Jackson, were playing their first game against La Jolla under first-year coach Kenny Nears.

Running back Marques Salmond took the snap for a 25-yard TD romp. Earlier in the drive, before the quarter turned, Salmond--"The Big Tank"--rambled up the left side from scrimmage for a 75-yard gainer. He looked big, physical, unstoppable as he wound his way forward, seemingly unimpeded.

Running back Aiden Farrell continued his high-yardage ways for the Vikings, piling up 233 yards on the ground for the game. He had a spectacular run for 45 yards on first-and-10 on La Jolla's first drive, darting to the left for long yardage, then zigzagging across the field to the right to put the ball on the Madison five-yard line. Rota delivered his six-yard pass to Diehl for the TD and 7-0 lead.

In the second quarter, Farrell rushed 53 yards on first-and-10 before Diehl took another scoring pass from Rota 15 yards for a 20-7 lead.

Carson Diehl's talents as a receiver were on full display as San Diego State's receivers coach watched from the north end of the field. Diehl committed to SDSU before the season. In the first half, besides his first two TD's, the 6'3" senior took a third reception into the end zone with a minute left.

Diehl had a pick-six of 40 yards called back midway through the initial period after a flag against La Jolla for an illegal block.